Question

1a) What is the rock mechanics? And how is it distinguished from other engineering?
1b) Are the near surface and deep underground excavation stability mechanism exactly the same? If not, how are they different?
1c) Discuss your understanding of creep and relaxation.

2a) Discuss and illustrate the three different major fracture modes.
2b) Discuss the five major influence of geological factors on rock and rock masses.

3 About Stress and In situ Stress
a.Compare and contrast mass, force and stress in terms of their connection and differences, with language words, drawing, or diagram.
b.Why should we care for stress and particularly in situ stress in rock mechanics and engineering sometimes if not always?

4 If your project encounter high horizontal stress, what factors may have caused the high horizontal stress to exist?

5 Compare and contrast simple and pure shear in terms of their deformation diagram, equations and/or matrix forms. How would you design and build such a test equipment?

6.Why and how should we understand the architecture of the elastic compliance matrix in terms of isotropy and anisotropy? Explain the uniaxial tensile test in terms of compliance matrix.

7.How many experimental set-ups are required to determine the 3-D state of stress in a rock mass, using each of the following standard stress measurement methods: flat jack, hydraulic fracturing, USBM gage and CSIOR gages by assuming that the stress field is constant in the vicinity of the test site.

Answer 1